A Heritage of Power
by OnceAround
Summary: Akane makes a startling discovery about her place in the Tendo family. DBZ X-over.
1. A Father's Folly

A Heritage of Power: Chapter 1

A Father's Folly

The ideas and characters of Ranma ½ and Dragonball Z are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, respectively. I claim no rights to any of the characters portrayed herein.

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Akane woke up slowly. The sun that filtered through her shades brushed the last few cobwebs from her sleep addled brain. Rolling over, Akane cursed fiancées in general and pig-tailed bakas in specific. She used to be a morning person, but with so many distractions, sleep had become more of a necessity than a luxury. This morning she needed to be up early, though. Kasumi had asked her to help with spring-cleaning and Akane was desperate to prove her domestic capabilities.

"Wake up sleepy head." Akane said as she gently prodded P-chan. A small snort was her only reply as she grabbed her bathroom stuff and went to wash up.

Downstairs, Kasumi was humming a cheery tune as she set out the cleaning supplies. The house had become far to disheveled from the constant battles and revelry that had filled the Tendo's days. Luckily Akane and Nabiki (amazingly enough) had offered to help, so cleaning should be a snap.

"Hey Kasumi, where should I start?" Akane inquired as she bounced down the stairs. Cleaning was perhaps the one household activity she was actually good at, and she intended to show it. Though most people wouldn't believe it, and some even said so out loud, Akane knew that she had a delicate touch and a good eye.

Kasumi straightened, "I think the basement probably needs to be reorganized. Do you think you're up to the task?"

"Just wait to you see my Tendo Anything Goes Cleaning technique!" Akane said as she struck a mock stance.

"Only to be matched by your Nothing Goes Cooking technique?" Asked Ranma as he flipped down the stairs and out into the yard, barely dodging the bucket flung by his attacking father.

Akane stopped and watched for a moment as Ranma and his father flew through the air. Their moves were swift and graceful as punches and kicks were exchanged. Despite his bulk, Genma was full of tricks and surprises. If Anything Goes had a branch specifically devoted to dirty fighting, Genma may well have been the Grandmaster. Ranma, to his credit, handled each new move with finesse and skill. Soon, though, Akane's admiration was replaced by sour jealousy and she nearly spat, "Ranma no baka!"

Kasumi moved to intercept a livid Akane while trying to smile as gently as possible, "Akane, could you rearrange Ranma's face after you finish rearranging the basement?"

Akane deflated slightly at Kasumi's bright smile, "Of course, sis." Akane still had time to throw Ranma another dirty look before picking up a bucket of cleaning supplies and moving downstairs.

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In the basement, Akane had begun the task of dusting and restacking the Tendo family memorabilia. From time to time she would come upon a school project or martial arts trophy that she intended to bring upstairs to show everyone. Akane unfolded a rough cloth and found Kasumi's old ballet shoes. Her oneesan would no doubt want to see them. Under that was the first yen Nabiki had ever extorted, framed and signed by the hapless pawn she had bilked.

Akane soon came to the section of family pictures. She smiled as she dusted off old black and white photos of her mother and father when they were younger. Her father had apparently kept his mustache, though it was far scrappier in his younger days. Her mother was a beautiful as Akane remembered. There were many photos: Her mother and father at carnivals and tournaments; her mother at a belt test; her father holding a baby Kasumi above his head; her mother coddling Nabiki; a laughing Nabiki holding something above Akane's head and finally, a photo of the entire Tendo family. In a hospital waiting room Akane's mother was holding a baby Akane, who appeared to have a monkey's tail poking out of her diaper. Beside her a tiny Kasumi, no older than two, was sitting. In one hand, a proud looking Soun Tendo was holding a newborn baby and in the other, a birth certificate. Looking more closely Akane saw the name: Nabiki Tendo.

"Kasumi!" Akane yelled as she ran upstairs, the picture clutched to her breast.

"What is it Akane?" Kasumi asked, poking her head out from the kitchen.

Thrusting the photo before Kasumi, "Have you ever seen this picture?" Akane demanded.

"Why, no. Where did you find it?"

"In the basement with all the old pictures. Am I older than Nabiki? Where is Daddy? Why am I wearing a tail in this picture? Where is DADDY" Akane said, almost shouting the last part.

"Honestly Akane, I don't remember that far back, but I don't think you're older than Nabiki. Just look at yourselves now. She's clearly older than you are." Kasumi said, again using a soothing voice.

Akane, though, was not to be placated. "If Daddy had been lying to me…"

"What have I been doing…oof" Soun puffed as he was assaulted by 110 pounds of questioning martial artist.

"Am I older than Nabiki?" Akane said, pressing the photo into her father's face.

"Now Akane…" Soun chuckled gently as he tried to pry the picture away from his daughter. Soun was a gifted and talented weasel. If he could destroy the evidence, this entire debacle would blow over in a few days. But oddly enough, Akane's fingers seemed to dig tighter into the frame the more he pulled. This was not going well.

"It seems to me, Father, that you have some serious explaining to do." Nabiki said coolly as she stepped out of the Tendo family kitchen. Soun managed to raise his index finger for a dignified response before fainting dead away.

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Later, with everyone around the dining table, the inquisition began. Soun, seated at the head of the table, was sweating much more than the light spring weather demanded. He longed for a cigarette. Just one cool drag would help the anxiety he was feeling. Alas, Akane and Nabiki were staring intently at their father waiting for the explanation to commence. Ranma and Genma, having at last found some presence of mind, sat silently down at their own end of the table.

Finally losing the last of her small measure of patience, Akane began menacingly "Daddy…"

Luckily Nabiki interjected "Honestly Akane, if you push him, he's just going to faint again."

Soun fished around under the table and found one of his hidden packs. With a deft flick of his wrist, he had the single cigarette out and in his lips before the girls could begin speaking again. While lighting a cigarette Soun began, "Girls, it is finally time to reveal the truth about our family. Akane, I know this will come as a shock; even though you are a true member of the Tendo clan, you were adopted."

"WHAT?!?" Resounded through the house.

Obviously cracking under the strain of so many accusatory stares, Soun continued, "When Kasumi was a year and a half old, we decided to adopt you Akane. Kimiko, your mother, wanted another girl. Little did we know that she was already with child when we began the adoption procedure. When Nabiki was born, you were already our child."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Asked Akane. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were moist with tears.

"You must understand, Akane, that I love you. You grew up much more slowly than Nabiki, so we told you that you were born last. Honestly, your mother and I never meant to hurt you. We wanted you to think of yourself as a Tendo, as part of the family." With supream strength of will, Soun finished reassuring Akane. But a task like that took a toll on a body and he finally succumbed to the pressures of the day, dropping blissfully into unconsciousness.

Akane, upon hearing Soun's last words, leapt from the table and sprinted upstairs crying the entire way. Seeing her tears, Ranma made an attempt to follow her, only to be stopped by a restraining hand from Kasumi.

"Give her time." Kasumi implored.

"But…Well…Ok, Kasumi, but I gotta talk to her, ya know." Ranma said sheepishly as he stood up and moved towards the dojo.

"Yes Ranma, I do know." Kasumi said to his retreating back.

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Soun awoke with a start. He was lying on the futon in his room. The covers had been pulled up over his chest and a small ice bag had been hung to rest on his forehead. Perhaps it had all been a dream, induced by some fever. He had just slept late and hallucinated that Akane had found out about her unique origin. The dream gave Soun an idea: it was time to put the truth to rest. As Soun pulled the blankets off of himself, he vowed to make sure that particular picture disappeared from the basement for all time. Sitting up, though, he saw Nabiki fixing him with a feline stare.

"Nabiki, what are you…" He began.

"Can it Daddy! There's just one thing I want to know." Nabiki held up the photograph and pointed to her newest older sister. "Why was Akane wearing a tail when she was visiting me in the hospital?"

It has been noted that Soun Tendo is not the brightest man in the Tokyo area. His skill at Shogi came more from cheating than from any actual mental acumen. The intelligence and grace of his daughters were more from their maternal genetic gifts than from anything of Soun had ever done. It was, therefore, unsurprising that he couldn't think up a lie in time. "I, ah… Well, that is…she…My baby is an alien! Wahhhhhhhh." Soun cried, bursting into tears.

"A what?" Nabiki demanded. Cursed people were one thing. Gods and demons and ghosts were another, but in all her experience with the wacky goings on around Ranma, Nabiki had never heard a peep from the extraterrestrial corner of the paranormal.

"I…well… I guess I have proof." Soun said, resigning himself to letting the entire story come out.

"Show me now." Nabiki said slowly. First cleaning and now aliens. This day was just going from bad to worse.

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The strength of one's toes is an often-overlooked factor in martial prowess. The Anything Goes School, however, taught that movement was essential. Consequently, the feet and toes were the foundation upon which devastating martial techniques were built. Fortunately for Ranma Saotome, his father had not neglected to teach him the 17 toe training exercises that Anything Goes practitioners had accumulated over the years. Hanging from the gutter above Akane's room was as easy as, say, running along a chain link fence.

Inside the room, Akane lay clutching P-chan to her chest. Her drenching sobs had subsided to an occasional sniffle. Still, Ranma noticed that tears continued to leak out of her eyes and slide down to her pillow. Finding the right words for this situation required brains and sensitivity. Unfortunately, both were qualities that Ranma thought were absent in his makeup. Still, to see Akane in pain conjured strong emotions within Ranma's heart. Slowly, he reached a hand up to tap on the window.

At first, Akane had been overwhelmed by her father's… No, Soun Tendo's words. She was alone. No family, no name. While she sobbed on her bed, even the memories of her mother seemed somehow false. As she lay, curled up around her pig, all those thoughts and feelings had congealed into a dull ache in her stomach when she thought about her family. Suddenly she heard a sound from the window.

Pushing herself up off of her comforter and standing to open the shade, Akane knew it was Ranma. Who else could it be?

"You must like seeing me cry." Akane said bitterly as she peered out the window. Her face was puffy and her hair had been matted to one side by her tears.

"Nah, it ain't like that and you know it."

"Why are you here, then?" Akane asked, turning to grab a tissue.

"I just, ya know, want to check if you're ok." Ranma stammered.

"Ok? I just found out I'm nameless. How would you feel?"

"Jeeze Akane, you're not nameless. Didn't you hear your Pops? He just did what he did to make sure you thought of yourself as a Tendo."

"That's just it, I'm not really a Tendo. I just think of myself as one."

"Well, see here's the thing: I was thinking while I was in the dojo. Ya see, your Pops, he cares a lot about martial arts and stuff, right?"

"So?" Akane said, not caring what Ranma was rambling about. She just wanted to return to her bed and cuddle P-chan. Why wouldn't Ranma just leave her alone?

"So both he and your Mamma trained you, right? So, where I'm going with this is that all the honor of the Tendo clan rests in you. Hell you're even more of a Tendo than Nabiki and Kasumi if you think about it that way."

"What?" Akane said turning back to the window and staring into Ranma's inverted face.

"Well, the Tendo's are martial artists. You're the only martial artist in the family, so you have all the honor."

"But I'm not really a Tendo." Akane said again.

"Like fun you aren't. Who am I going to marry?" Ranma demanded, "You of course! 'To fulfill the honor and destiny of the Tendo and the Saotome Clans you and I must wed'" Ranma recited.

"Ranma… Do you really mean that?" Asked Akane slowly.

"Of course. So that makes you a real, honor-bound, butt-kicking Tendo." Ranma said proudly.

"Oh Ranma!" Akane exclaimed as she dragged Ranma in from the window.

"What!" Ranma tried to shout as he was muffled into a bear hug.

Perhaps Ranma would have denied his previous statement or insulted Akane. But before he could stick his foot in his mouth again, Nabiki suddenly burst through the door. "Akane, you are not going to believe this…what's all this?"

"What won't we believe, Nabiki?" Akane said dropping an air deprived Ranma, her face now red with embarrassment.

Nabiki eyed her sister and then looked down to Ranma's crumpled form. "Oh yeah. I got Daddy talking again and well, let me just ask you this: do you have a scar on your lower back?"

"Yes, from where I fell on a rock at the beach. What does that have to do with anything?" Akane asked, a puzzled frown crossing her brow.

"Just come down to the basement."

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Akane, Nabiki and Ranma all stood around a giant wooden crate in the dim light of the Tendo basement. The lid had recently been pried open and a crowbar rested against the side of the crate.

"Just look inside." Nabiki prompted Akane and Ranma.

Inside the crate sat a huge metal sphere with a small window. Seams ran around the window, indicating an opening that a human could pass through. A glimpse inside revealed an array of buttons, switches and levers. The rest of the sphere was colored a silver-grey that was blemished with small pit marks. The bottom of the sphere was also marred with black scorch marks.

"So it's a big tennis ball. What's so unbelievable about that?" Ranma asked, taking the lid down from atop the crate and pulling on one side to open it up further.

"What's so unbelievable, Ranma, is that our Dad says that he found Akane in that thing."

"But Daddy just told me I was adopted." said Akane as she turned away from the crate to face Nabiki.

The middle Tendo sister was dressed casually in sweats and a t-shirt, but by the way she had her arms folded across her chest, Akane knew that Nabiki was definitely serious. "I know, but after you…left, I asked Daddy a few questions."

"Like what?" asked Ranma over his shoulder as he continued to poke at the metal sphere.

"Well, for one, I asked him why Akane had a tail in the picture. Now, Daddy is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think he was at least telling the truth. He said that when he found Akane, she had a tail: a real, actual monkey's tail. I mean, I wouldn't have believed it, but Daddy said you would have a scar since he cut the tail off, and you do."

"Oh come on, that doesn't prove she's an alien." Ranma said skeptically.

"Well, of course not, Saotome. What proves that my sister is an alien is this ship." Nabiki indicated the contents of the crate. "He told me that he found Akane when he and mom were hiking. They saw a meteorite fall to earth. When they got to the site of the landing, there was this giant orb. They looked inside and there was baby Akane, tail and all."

"But still couldn't this just be some weird thing that Daddy found? This could all be some terrible joke." implored Akane, but even as she said it, she doubted her own words. The facts were becoming annoyingly plain.

"Well, we all know our father is two punches short of a kata, so that's why I wanted to have you and Ranma here. You guys need to make sure this is some elaborate hoax, got it?"

Both Ranma and Akane nodded their understanding. Ranma then turned and pulled off another of the sides of the crate, stacking it with the others. Ranma maneuvered around the side and began to push the sphere out. It was surprisingly light and Ranma was able to roll it over beside the foot of the stairs.

"There's got to be a way to open it." He said, continuing to poke at the orb.

Nabiki knelt down and began to run her fingers around the seam of the sphere. The metal itself felt cool to the touch and had a slightly ceramic quality. "You know, it's odd", Nabiki mused, "You would think there would be some sort of opening mechanism or switch."

"Hey Akane, what do you think?" Ranma said, turning away from the crate for a second to face his fiancée. Akane, however, did not respond. With her palm pressed to her forehead she appeared to be deep in thought.

"I…I think I remember something…Vegetable or vegetation." Akane stammered.

"What are you talking about, ya crazy tomboy?" Ranma said.

Akane, though, would not be dissuaded. She furrowed her brow and concentrated. Just as it seemed that there was no hope, Akane's eyes snapped open and she shouted. "Vegeta!"

There was a click as the door of the sphere hissed open.

"How did you know, sis?" Nabiki said as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"I just remember that word." Akane said, looking as confused as before.

"Well let's see if we can get it to do something." Ranma said excitedly.

"Well this big blue button looks promising." Nabiki said as she pointed to the confines of the ball. Sure enough, a large button was mounted on the ceiling of the orb. It was positioned in front of the seat that took up most of the room inside the sphere. The interior surface of the rest of the orb was devoted to switches and displays. The controls appeared to be dormant, but the complexity of the system gave the trio a feeling that they should not touch anything else until they understood more.

"Here goes." Akane said as she leaned into the ship and depressed the button in question.

Suddenly an image jumped to life on Akane's dress. She stepped back between Ranma and Nabiki and a figure appeared, floating in the air in front of the sphere. It was a man or, more precisely, a man with a tail. He was dressed simply and functionally, in blue ceramic armor that flared to yellow shoulder guards. The man held himself with an air of confidence, though he only stood 15 inches high. He gestured broadly before speaking.

"Princess Vegeta, congratulations! Your Royal Highness has no doubt crushed the people of Elrani-3. We Saiyans are a proud and noble race with a long and glorious history of conquest. We have sent your Royal Highness to Elrani-3 to prove yourself as a capable heir to the throne of planet Vegeta. Your father, King Vegeta will be very proud to know that you have exterminated the lesser beings that inhabited that planet. I am now sending the message of your triumph; it should arrive in at the palace soon. Bear with me as I teach you what you need to know to be our ruler."

"Who are you?" Akane asked, hoping to cut off the vociferous hologram.

"I am Limar of the house of Beans and a program has been made to allow me to teach you all that a Saiyan needs to know. I am not actually there with you, but I will attempt to answer any questions that you might have."

"Am I an alien?" Akane asked, crouching before the small image.

"You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy." Limar finished triumphantly.

"Aren't I human?" Akane implored again, putting her face closer to the hologram.

"You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy." Limar answered again, just as strongly.

Upon hearing this Akane sunk to the floor, crying. Both Nabiki and Ranma stood paralyzed by the new information.

"Princess, do not cry. You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy."

"Put a sock in bean-head!" Ranma said as he bent down and uncharacteristically put his arms around Akane, who cried unabashedly into the silk of Ranma's shirt.

"Um, Nabiki, could you give us a moment?" Ranma looked up imploringly.

"Yeah… Sure thing." Nabiki said as she nearly raced up the stairs and out of the basement.

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The tension in the Tendo house the next afternoon was nearly palpable. Soun had been meticulously avoiding Akane all day despite the long, disapproving looks he was receiving from his daughters. Soun, though, was not a man without a coping mechanism for such strident and earnest condemnation. He had pushed himself so far into delusion that even the great denier, Genma Saotome thought that Soun needed to face the music.

Ranma, dressed in his favorite blue silk shirt, sat on the cold wooden floor of the dojo. The tears that Akane had left on it were still visible as salt stains on the shoulder. For the last half hour, he had been attempting to think of ways to cheer up Akane. Thus far all he had come up with was calling her a tomboy. For some reason Ranma couldn't put his finger on, that name seemed wrong in this situation.

Suddenly the door to the dojo opened and Ranma swiveled to face Akane. She was dressed in her white practice Gi. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. All the tears and sadness of yesterday were gone. Instead, the sorrow had been replaced by a look of…cunning? Ranma stood slowly, wondering what Akane was up to.

"Ranma, do you have a minute?" Akane asked in a surprisingly sweet voice.

"Sure thing, Akane." Ranma answered cautiously. One could never be too careful when girls asked for a minute of one's time.

Akane walked into the dojo so that she was standing just a few feet from Ranma. Her face was unreadable. "I have a deal for you. We'll spar and if I land a blow on you, you have to answer one question truthfully."

Danger was flashing red in front of Ranma's eyes. If there was one thing his father had taught him, it was that women were not to be trusted with the truth. The truth was a powerful and dangerous thing: it couldn't be given to just anybody. This could only lead to difficulty… But still, a small voice in the back of Ranma's head whispered, she was Akane and he was Ranma. Either way, it was best to leave before things could go from bad to worse.

"I dunno Akane, I think I need to study or something." Ranma said as he stood to leave the dojo.

"Come on… I challenge you." Akane said provokingly.

"You…challenge…me." It was, as the saying goes, almost too easy.

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Ranma and Akane stood at opposite ends of the dojo. Akane had taken her usual kempo stance, legs bent, one hand chambered at her waist while the other floated defensively out in front of her body. Ranma opted for an almost unconcerned posture. He eyed Akane suspiciously.

"Now remember, you agreed that this is only going to last for five minutes." Ranma reminded Akane.

"Just start already," said an already agitated Akane. Before Ranma could answer, Akane shouted. "Matte!"

Akane charged towards Ranma intent on landing a quick jab. Her fist, however, met solid air. Ranma had already danced out of the way of the strike. Akane then broke into a complex series of kicks and punches. Two quick straight punches were followed by a low, reverse roundhouse. All of Akane's speed and finesse met with the same results: nothing. Ranma had begun to weave between the blows, ducking and leaning so that each strike grazed past him.

"Geeze Akane, you're getting sloppy." Ranma taunted.

"Good." was Akane's angry reply.

Soon, though, Ranma found that the wide punches and kicks that Akane had started using were coming faster and faster. Rather than tiring, it was almost as if Akane were gaining strength. Ranma ducked a hook punch, only to find himself staring at an incoming uppercut. Before the blow could land, though, Ranma threw himself into a back flip. Seeing that her punches had missed, Akane screamed with rage and charged Ranma again. A furious series of blows rained down upon Ranma. He was hard pressed to block, and decided that the best course of action was to escape. As Akane launched a leaping straight punch, Ranma flipped over her head, aiming to poke her as he had done so many months before. As he looked down, though, he saw Akane rising to meet him with a jumping uppercut. For a moment Ranma's world went black.

As Ranma came to, he saw Akane sitting cross-legged beside him. A barely contained look of joy was playing across her face. The words, "Hits like a Gorilla." were on the tip of Ranma's tongue as Akane spoke up.

"Ranma, you promised." Akane's face had changed to a half-glare that silenced any criticism Ranma had been planning.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a minute. What is it you want to ask me?" Ranma groaned as he sat up.

"Just remember Ranma, this has to be the truth." Akane searched Ranma's face for a moment before she decided to continue. "Do you like me, even a little?" Akane asked, her eyes instantly darting towards the floor.

"Well, I…ya know," stammered Ranma as he searched for a suitable retort. Where was that tomboy remark when you needed it? As he looked at Akane, he couldn't help but stare at the way her short hair fell forward over her face, half-masking her blushing cheeks. Akane's expression was coy, but suddenly Ranma found it unbelievably alluring. "I don't really know why you're asking me this, but…um, yeah sure I like you."

"Oh Ranma, I knew you did. I like you too." Akane said as she threw her arms around Ranma, squeezing the air, and any caustic remark, out of him.

"I knew it because you were so nice to me yesterday." said Akane happily.

Perhaps it was the seriousness of yesterday's subject or some spark of maturity within Ranma's makeup, or maybe… just maybe, it was the glow in Akane's eyes as she looked at him. But whatever the reason, Ranma took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I just wanted to make you feel better."

"Thank you so much Ranma." Akane smiled again. After a few moments of silence, Akane couldn't resist, "So… do you want to know how I beat you?"

"You didn't beat me!" Ranma yelled, jumping to his feet and pointing down at Akane. "I wasn't even attacking."

"Yeah, but I bet even if you were, you'd have lost." Akane said stubbornly, also standing and pointing her finger back in Ranma's face.

"Ok tomboy, how'd ya do it, then? Magic?"

"Well, for your information, baka, I was talking to that hologram in the ship and he told me that the Saiyans have a fighting discipline of their own."

"Discipline? Like technique?" Ranma asked, perplexed. He still held his finger inches away from Akane's nose, but he had temporarily forgetting his rancor.

"Sort of, but it's more like a way to control your emotions in a fight, like your Soul of Ice." Akane took her hand out of Ranma's face and gently grasped his wrist, lowering it. She let her fingers linger on his forearm for a moment, noticing the taught muscles there, before breaking contact.

"Really?" asked Ranma, still able to feel the place where Akane's fingers had been.

"Yeah, I guess it might just be a Saiyan thing, but Limar said that we are better off losing control in a fight. The angrier, the better."

"Nah, it kind of makes sense, like Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokodan only with anger."

It was Akane's turn to ask, "Really?"

"Yeah, I bet you could do some cool things with it once you get some practice… Um, Akane, I noticed that you said 'we.' How're you feeling about this whole Saiyan thing?" Ranma asked tentatively.

"To be honest, I don't feel any different. I guess it was such a shock to find out that I was adopted, that this whole thing doesn't really seem all that strange. I am still a Tendo, right? What does it matter if I'm from here or from Mars?" said Akane wistfully. "What do you think, Ranma?"

"Me…well, you look human enough. Damn, who cares? Weird stuff happens to me all the time and you let it slide. Well, maybe not, but still, you don't really hold it against me." Ranma answered, surprised that Akane had asked for his opinion.

"Yeah, I guess with all the demons and gods around here, I should have guessed there'd be an alien or two. I just didn't think it would be me."

"Aw, Akane, it's no big deal. You could have changed into a monkey or something weird like that. Come on." Ranma said standing up and pulling Akane to her feet. "I think you need a little more work on that new discipline of yours."

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Author's notes:

I looked back at this old piece I wrote under a different name and I thought that I could polish it up a bit. It was just a snippet of an idea I had a while ago, but I'd like to keep it going. Let me know what you think! It is oddly in the same vein as my other story, A Man's Woman, but I can't really figure out why. Akane isn't my favorite character in Ranma ½, but I seem to gravitate towards her when I am writing. Perhaps she has the most room for development? Who knows, but I hope you enjoy!

Remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C welcome. The more the better, I always say!


	2. Trouble also loves company

A Heritage of Power: Chapter 2

Trouble Also Loves Company

The ideas and characters of Ranma ½ and Dragonball Z are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, respectively. I claim no rights to any of the characters portrayed herein.

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Akane lowered herself slowly into the steaming hot furo. As her body touched the soothing water, her first thought was, "ouch," followed almost immediately by, "ouch ouch." Even for someone of Akane's fierce determination, getting up this morning had taken a great deal of will power. She just needed to soak for a few days and she would be ready to go. Fighting with Ranma, really fighting, was like trying to take on a tornado. Strike that, a skilled tornado… one with secret techniques. She almost regretted the sparing sessions she had had with Ranma over the past week, but the thought of her new speed and power brushed aside her preoccupation with any lingering soreness. Or not. Groaning, she sat up and began the arduous task of pulling herself back out of the tub.

Outside the rain fell in tiny stinging needles. Akane stared out of the window as she put on her gi; Nerinma was not a pretty place, and in the rain it was doubly depressing. Still, rain meant a new opponent, who would fight with Ranma's overall style, but she would be smaller, faster, and slightly weaker. As Akane walked downstairs, she unconsciously clenched her fists as she thought of techniques to compensate.

Ranma, in girl form, was already in the dojo, warming up. Akane watched as she finished her kata. Ranma's eyes were closed and her arms hung loosely at his side. Akane felt, as well as saw, Ranma's battle aura. It fell in waves over her mind: calm, cool, and determined. "Soul of Ice?" she wondered idly as she stepped across the threshold.

"Hey Akane!" Ranma said suddenly, her eyes flashing open.

"What was that Ranma?" said Akane as she came to stand in front of the red head.

"Ya felt that? Yeah, it's this thing I've been working on since I fought with Saffron." Ranma said slowly, her features darkening as she thought of the fiery god.

"It just makes things cooler?" Akane said, hoping to change Ranma's train of though.

"Nah, that's the neat thing. It's like… like using a lens for my chi. If I concentrate hard enough, I can almost amplify my power." said Ranma, hoping to explain in some small way what she was attempting.

"Well, it's still cool!" smirked Akane.

"Har har, tomboy." said Ranma, but there was no malice behind her voice.

"Come on, let's get started." said Akane as she moved to one side of the dojo.

"This time, try to mix up your techniques a little," suggested Ranma from across the wooden floor.

"What do you mean? My technique is fine, you stupid baka!" Akane shot back.

"Yeah, boring old kempo all the way," Ranma intoned sarcastically.

"Argh, I'll show you technique." Akane cried as she sailed toward Ranma, intent on wiping the grin off of her face.

Ranma, as per usual, danced around Akane while managing to avoid crushing blows from all corners. Suddenly, Ranma was on the offensive. Akane, to her credit, avoided dozens of strikes as the smaller Ranma threw near Amaguriken-speed punches at her. Deciding enough was enough, Akane dropped below the level of the punches, only to spring up and lash out with her feet as she flipped backwards. Ranma realized a moment too late that her target was gone, and was clipped on the jaw for her inattention. Despite this, the red head was able to launch herself into the air and catch Akane with a crossover sidekick. Akane landed badly and Ranma was beside her in a flash, pounding Akane into the hardwood floor.

"Jeeze Akane, that was great," said Ranma as she dropped down next to Akane, barely breathing hard.

"But I still got beaten," Akane said, her eyes downcast.

"Yeah, I almost had to go all out." Ranma said, still smiling.

Akane's head snapped up, "That's just it, Ranma! Why don't you go all out?"

"Well you know…you're like, a girl." Ranma stammered, suddenly finding the wood grains of the dojo floor exceedingly interesting.

"I'm a martial artist! You are such a jerk!" Akane said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You stupid tomboy! If I went all out, I'd kill you. Is that what you want?" Ranma yelled, responding to the insult.

"I want you take me seriously! If you beat me, you beat me, but don't dismiss me!" Akane cried as she leapt off the ground towards Ranma, tears streaming behind her. Her fist crashed down into the floor where, up until recently, Ranma had been sitting. Without thinking, the red headed girl spun and lashed out with her foot. Akane took the stinging blow on the forearm, and then ducked under Ranma's leg, intent on sending the smaller girl into orbit. In order to avoid an untimely space trip, Ranma wrapped her legs around Akane's torso, pinning the larger girl's arms to her side. Both crashed down onto the floor with Akane ending up on top, her arms still trapped between Ranma's legs.

"What do you do when you're defeated in a fight?" Akane asked sharply, pushing down with all her weight and nearly bending Ranma in half.

"What?!?" wheezed a confused Ranma. The hard wood of the dojo floor was eating into her shoulder blades, but she could find no purchase to throw Akane off.

"When you're defeated, what do you do?"

"I never get defeated. Maybe I get beaten, but I train and I get better, and I win!" Ranma shouted up defiantly.

"What about me? If you beat me, how can I get better when you don't take me seriously?" Akane implored.

"But you're a girl…" Ranma said, falling back on her old arguments.

"So what if I'm a girl? Didn't I catch you today?" said Akane as she glared directly into Ranma's eyes.

"Yeah, but I don't hit people who are weaker than me." Ranma said.

"Like Kuno?" Akane flung back.

"Well… I don't like him very much," said Ranma, as her arguments began to crumble.

"So?"

"And I like you! Geeze, ya made me say it once already. I don't hit ya because I like ya! Is that so hard to understand?" Ranma yelled, her hold on Akane weakening.

Akane relaxed her struggles for a moment and leaned back to let Ranma breath. "But…but I want you to train with me."

Ranma released Akane and scooted over a bit so they could both sit side by side. Ranma raked his fingers through her hair as she spoke, "I dunno, Akane. I understand that you're a martial artist. The only reason you weren't better when I got here is because you haven't had good opponents. But… "

Akane's face brightened immediately "Really? You think I have potential?"

Ranma smiled slightly at Akane and continued, "But I don't know if I can go all out on ya."

Akane slid over so that she was closer and placed her arm on Ranma's. "I'm not asking you to kill me or break my bones or anything like that. You know I'm the heir to the Tendo dojo, my father said so. I want… no, I need to be better than I am right now."

"I know. I know. But I just can't hit you full force." Ranma looked up for a moment, "How can you hit me?"

"Well most of the time you deserve it!" Akane said, but despite her words, she felt ashamed. Akane turned her eyes down, "I'm sorry I get angry. I guess I just see you as a martial artist, so it's ok to hit you. I…I'll try not to from now on."

"Well, I still don't like it when you hit me." Ranma said, pausing to consider for a moment and continuing in a softer tone, "Maybe, though, if we sparred some more, I could get used to you as, you know, a fighter."

"Really? Oh Ranma, thank you. What did you think of that flip-kick?" Akane asked, her mood lifting.

"It was really great, but here's the thing: ya gotta tighten up the flip a little or somebody will get ya, like I did. Let me show you." Ranma said, standing up and stretching.

Akane pushed herself over to kneeling and lowered down in to a mock bow. "Oh, thank you Sensei."

"You are just all laughs today. Maybe some more sparring would be funny, too," said Ranma as he advanced menacingly, or at least as menacingly as he could while trying not to smile.

"No, no. Show me the flip and then we need to get ready for school."

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Akane sank down onto her bed with all the grace and style of a dead carp. Still, the softness of the mattress supported her weight and she could feel her tired and abused muscles begin to unlock. It wasn't even 8am and she was already exhausted, emotionally and physically. As Akane lay back, she thought of how her schoolwork was suffering; it was just so hard to work when she could hear the dojo calling to her. She was hooked. Not since she was little had she felt such a rush at mastering new techniques. Now that Ranma had agreed to train her, it was only going to get worse. "This must be what drives Ranma on." Akane thought as she remembered the feeling of practicing the flip kick twenty minutes earlier. With the Saiyan discipline she had just learned, Akane had seen her techniques go from slow and sloppy to strong and crisp in under a week; in fact, even unfamiliar moves came faster now.

Still, she needed to change Ranma's mind. Why couldn't he just see that she was willing to take risks and endure pain to become better than she was? She wasn't jealous of his skill any more, but for him to refuse to share it fully was intolerable. As the thought back on the morning's fights, a plan began to form in her mind…

A knock at the door startled Akane out of her daydreaming. "Akane, I think there's a…a call for you," said a somewhat hesitant Kasumi.

"Sure thing sis! Tell them I'll be right down." Akane said as she levered herself up and began to dress.

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Downstairs a now-male Ranma and his father were already seated at the breakfast table. The entire Tendo family had decided that it was just too dangerous to sit near the Saotome's during breakfast. Eight foodless hours of sleep turned the pair of martial artist into ravenous wolves, or pandas, depending on the situation. Consequently, Kasumi had started serving a breakfast for two early, and keeping the rest of the food safely in the kitchen.

"Leggo, old man! That's one's mine!" shouted Ranma as he moved his chopsticks in a lightning fast motion.

"Boy, you need to learn some respe…Damn it Ranma!" cried Genma as he realized that Ranma had broken his chopsticks, only to catch the tasty morsel that they had been holding.

"Ranma, will you grow up?" asked Akane as she moved past the pair into the kitchen.

"Maybe when you can beat me, tomboy!" Ranma said under his breath.

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In the kitchen, Kasumi was humming gently as she prepared lunches for the day.

"Who's on the phone, Kasumi?" Akane asked brightly as she snagged an octopus ball.

"Honestly Akane, you're almost as bad a Ranma. No, it's not the phone. I heard some noise from the basement, so I went downstairs to see what it was. I think someone is trying to talk to you through your ship." Kasumi finished, inclining her head to indicate the basement door.

"I bet it's just Limar trying to get some attention. He probably gets lonely during the night. I'll go tell him to keep it down." Akane said turning to walk down the stairs.

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"Limar! Limar, is that you?" Akane yelled into the gloom.

"No, this is Brocol. Is that you, your Highness?" a voice called out.

"I don't know about being a highness, but I'm the one Limar said was the princess." Akane said as she approached the ship. In Limar's place was a bulky woman with an enormous amount of hair sticking straight up. She stood solemnly at attention, but Akane couldn't help but giggle at the alien's comic appearance.

"Your highness, it is you!" Brocol cried.

"How do you know I'm really the princess?" Akane asked.

"First of all, you are the spitting image of your older sister. Also, Limar should have told your Royal Highness that he took a measure of your DNA to test when you pressed the blue button. That's how the program was designed to work."

"That's kind of cool. So, why did you…call?" Akane asked. She was beginning to get uncomfortable with the formal tone Brocol kept using. Maybe the Saiyans really bought this whole princess thing.

"Your father, King Vegeta, has not yet heard of your triumph. I thought you would want to surprise him, so a diplomatic envoy has been dispatched to escort your Royal Highness home."

"What?? You're coming here?" Akane asked.

"We assumed that you have crushed the people of that planet and enslaved the remaining few. In fact, the servant I spoke with earlier seemed very docile. Of course we expected no less from your Highness." Brocol said proudly.

"Do you mean Kasumi? No she's my adopted sister. I haven't crushed anyone," Akane said, wanting to clear up any misunderstandings.

"What!?! Princess, do you mean to tell me that you have failed to destroy that measly planet? Their Tech level barely reaches above 7! Their average power level is below 10! Why haven't you ground them to dust? Haven't you even destroyed their major centers of industry?" Brocol cried.

"Now hold on a second! I love my family. I'm not going to crush them or do anything like that!" Akane shouted back at the hologram.

"Princess, you must be confused. You are a Saiyan. You're a warrior, a killer, and a force that makes the universe tremble. If you were adopted, it was a mistake. You should go kill those scum right away," Brocol said, now pacing around in the air.

"Shut up! I couldn't forgive myself for something like that. Just stay away from here!"

"Listen, listen. You have been brainwashed. If your father finds out you were sent to a planet full of such deceptive slime, I'm dead. Here's what I'm going to do: I am sending a full Saiyan warrior, not the entire diplomatic entourage, to come get you. It will take three cycles for him to arrive. He will teach you how to maim and kill, you will destroy the planet and return home triumphant." Brocol finished, relived that she had thought up a plan to save her hide.

"No, no, no! I won't let you do that!" Akane yelled at the tiny image.

"Princess, I don't see that you have a choice. Just make ready, and please, try to kill as many of the inhabitants of Elrani-3 as possible. Brocol out."

"Ranma!" Akane cried as she raced of the stairs for the second time is as many weeks.

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Ranma's concentration shattered. In that moment, his father choose to apply a rather painful and immobilizing hold with one hand, and with the other, to eat every bit of food off of Ranma's plate. Ranma struggled, but finding no purchase, was forced to watch his hard earned morsels devoured.

"Damn it, Akane! What do you want?" Ranma yelled when his father released him.

"You and Nabiki need to come downstairs right away." Akane said, visibly agitated.

Nabiki walked out from around the corner, "Did Limar's program crash? He always was a little high strung"

"No!! Just come downstairs."

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Gathered around the Saiyan craft, Akane spoke. "Limar can you replay what Brocol said?"

"Who's Brocol?" Ranma asked, only to be shushed by the girls.

"Yes Princess, easily." The holographic program responded.

In the air above the ship, Brocol appeared for the second time that morning. An exact copy of the earlier conversation took place, with Akane filling in her parts to the best of her memory. When the recording finished, Akane turned to Ranma and Nabiki expectantly.

Nabiki shook her head, "Sis, you are in some deep trouble."

"Ah, this Saiyan guy probably isn't that tough." Ranma said, lacing he fingers behind his head.

"But Brocol seemed to think that he could kill everyone on earth." Akane said, her voice betraying more than a little worry.

Nabiki turned to face Limar, who had returned, "Well, we need to know a couple of things before we jump to conclusions. Limar, could we talk to King Vegeta?"

"I am sorry mistress Nabiki, all communications with the planet Vegeta have been cut off." Limar said as he bowed his head in shame.

"Damn, I bet you could have gone over Brocol's head. It's probably just as well; you definitely don't want to upset the King. Limar, how long is it going to take for this warrior to get here?" Nabiki asked, looking for more useful information.

"Three Saiyan cycles is roughly 360 Elranian days." Limar said.

"So we have a year. How strong is this warrior they're sending?"

"I do not know, but the average Saiyan warrior has a power level of just under 800, one of the best racial averages in the known universe." Limar said while puffing out his chest.

"Damn, we don't have any idea how strong that is." Akane said.

"Begging your pardon princess, but would it help to know that you are currently displaying a power level of 124, the young man has a power of 175, and mistress Nabiki is around 12." Limar offered.

"No way," Ranma said. He had never imagined that someone could be more than four times as good as he was.

"Ok, that's bad news, but still we've got to look on the bright side. We've got numbers and a year to prepare. That's better than we get with most of the weirdoes that attack here." Nabiki said, taking stock of the situation.

"Right! Yeah, we'll train, and Akane and me will whip this punk's ass!" Ranma said defiantly.

"Easy Saotome, we still need to get to school." Nabiki said, noticing the way Akane's eyes glowed with appreciation as she looked at Ranma.

Ranma looked over his shoulder at his fiancée, "Hey Akane, are you coming?"

"Yeah. Sure thing."

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Author's notes:

Hey, what do you know? Another chapter! In case you were wondering, I am going to feature Nabiki a little more heavily in future chapters. She has always struck me as the brains of the Tendo operation and I think that will come in handy.

Remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I say!


	3. How does one measure a year?

A Heritage of Power: Chapter 3

How does one measure a year?

The ideas and characters of Ranma ½ and Dragonball Z are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, respectively. I claim no rights to any of the characters portrayed herein.

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How does one measure a year? In time? In effort? Or perhaps it is truer to calculate it in something more ephemeral, like love? For Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, though, a year can best be measured by the sum total insanity they both experience. Within a swirling maelstrom of chaos it is often difficult to remember anything else but a smear of raw experience. Take, for instance, the case of the deadly Saiyan warrior hurtling towards earth, hell-bent on carnage and destruction. At first thoughts of this menace had consumed every waking hour of the teenager's lives. Never before had either one of them trained so hard. Ancient techniques were sought out and mastered, new ones were created and refined, and the envelope of human (and Saiyan) skill and endurance was tested again and again. For a moment, one single unseen threat caused the fog of anarchy to coalesce into something more productive. But then fiancées began to crop up again. Monsters, rivals, demons and Gods all came forward to steal their own share of the duo's time and attention, till finally the Saiyan menace was merely second tier in order of importance.

Then, having little in the way of tact, real life intruded. School work for the two rising seniors piled up. This was, of course, to say nothing to the hurried preparation for college exams. Extra study sessions, late nights, cram courses and liberal doses of caffeine all became standards at the Tendo household. Martial Arts Math and Social Studies Sword-play aside, Ranma had a particularly difficult time focusing on the academics Akane had forced upon him. But then, as if by miracle, Ranma began to apply himself. Some would say not a moment too soon; after months of fevered waiting, his scores turned out to be just high enough for consideration by top universities around the country. The Tendo daughter, by comparison, aced her exams and was courted by the prestigious Tokyo University. Just as it appeared that the duo would be separated by something as foolish as college admission, Ranma managed to put his training to good use. The heir to the Saotome school of indiscriminant grappling release upon the administration of Tokyo University the esoteric and ever-so-slightly dangerous technique of anything-goes-college-admission. In point of fact, he simply sent a demo tape of his katas to the University's kempo coach, but to the Tendo and Saotome families, his acceptance might as well have been a secret 3000-year-old Chinese technique.

Some might claim that all of the distractions above were more than enough to sap the two martial artists attention, but some…ahem…scholars have pointed out another source of distraction. It was no secret that Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome had more than friendly thoughts about one another. What became clear over the ensuing year was that these thoughts had precipitated actions. A smile here and a kind word there had led to unfamiliar territory for the pair. Dating, such as it is, was technically impossible. Enemies and fiancées were far too numerous (and obsessive) for anything as mundane as dinner and a movie to run smoothly. Yet given time and a number of lucky coincidences, Ranma and Akane had begun to form the barest beginnings of a relationship. Secretive and innocent, love had started to blossom.

Let it be noted that lethal alien warriors, to their supreme discredit, have a nasty habit of not caring about matters such as these.

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"Mr. Saotome! For the last time, do you know the answer?"

With trained precision, Ranma's head snapped to attention, "The battle of Lexington?"

Professor Kenshiro Tanaka sighed and rubbed his graying temples. He had spent four years at college, then two more to receive his teaching degree. For an entire decade he had taught at a prestigious private school, but one little mistake, one tiny indiscretion, and he had been sent to teach at this wasteland of teenage stupidity. How was he to know that some members of the school board might object to the dipping of kittens into liquid nitrogen? And now he was here, to waste his time on morons like Saotome. "If you could focus the slightest bit of attention on the subject matter at hand, you might realize that this is chemistry class, not history. If you stayed awake at all, I'm sure your final months here would be far more enlightening, albeit less restful."

"Uh, yeah teach. I'm on it." said Ranma, slouching back into his chair again, this time determined to pay some small bit of attention to the lesson at hand. But, as a hundred times before, his attention began to wander. It was just that the weather was so nice; the sky was so blue, the birds were so cheerful and the air was just so warm. Another few months and it would be too hot to really enjoy being outside. Ranma silently protested being forced to sit a classroom for 8 hours a day, especially on a day like this. In the afternoon he and Akane would definitely have to practice outside. Thoughts of training led Ranma to consider the 18 variations of the Drunken Monk technique he had come up with before his first impromptu nap.

"Pay attention you dolt." Akane whispered harshly as she poked her fiancée in the back of the head.

Mr. Tanaka, unfortunately, possessed a keener sense of hearing than most gave him credit for. "Ms. Tendo, I don't believe I called on you. Perhaps, then, you would care to explain why you were speaking?"

Akane blushed bright red and began to stammer out a reply, but an arctic gaze from Mr. Tanaka immediately cut her off. "Would you and Mr. Saotome prefer to continue your romantic musings outside the classroom?"

"Yes sensei. I mean, no sensei. Come on Ranma." Akane mumbled amid peals of laughter from her classmates.

In the hallway, Akane whirled to face Ranma, "You baka! Why can't you just pay attention?"

Ranma leaned against the wall and threw Akane a lopsided grin, "I dunno. I just have more important things to think about."

"Like what?" Akane demanded as she crossed her arms.

"Like you and me, Akane. Like training and fighting and getting to be the best. Like college. Jeeze, this whole thing is pointless." Ranma said waving his hand to indicate the school around him. "I've got other things to be thinking about and you'll excuse me if Mr. Tanaka's lecture about a stupid cat in a box bores me to tears."

Akane took a step towards Ranma, and said, in a slightly softer tone, "That's sweet of you to say about us, but you've still got to learn other things for college, and I'm not going to be there to help you all the time."

"I know, I know. But still… it's gonna be awesome to take martial arts classes for credit."

Frustrated, Akane pushed Ranma away again. "Remember what that recruiter said. You can't just take gym classes to get a physical education degree."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma asked as he slid to the ground. "They'll pass me no matter what. Did you see the way that recruiter's jaw dropped when I did my kata?"

Akane took a deep breath and sat down heavily next to her fiancée. "Yeah I guess so." She blew the breath out as some of the tension released from her. "Isn't next year going to be great? At home I was looking at that class brochure they sent us. I was going to take some acting classes and some more English. Just think of all the clubs we could join."

"Acting? That doesn't sound like it's required for the physical education degree." Ranma said a bit warily as he turned to face Akane.

"It's not, but that's the great thing about University: you can do whatever you want."

"But the recruiter said that there were certain requirements you had to fulfill for PE, right?"

Akane leaned back into the lockers and gazed lazily out the window into the blue skies beyond. "I was thinking maybe I won't get a degree in physical education. I was looking more at finance or theater or just about anything." Akane said as her eyes came into focus. "I'm serious Ranma, it's going to be great to do something I really love for a while."

"Really? I thought you loved martial arts."

Akane let out a long breath. "I did. I do. It's just that I want to try something different. Don't worry, we'll still practice together."

Ranma sat silent for a moment, his eyes glazed in contemplation as Akane's had just been, "Well, I guess that's ok then," he said as he looked down at his hands. "You're still a whole lot better than just about everyone else on earth, so I suppose you can teach at the Saotome dojo in your spare time."

Akane threw Ranma a wry smile, "Oh, so now it's the Saotome dojo? I don't think so buddy boy."

"Then I shall destroy your dojo and take its sign." Ranma said with mock seriousness.

Akane slashed her fists through the air in an overly choreographed move, "Never Dojo Destroyer! You shall fall before my…Hey Ranma, what is it?"

At her side, Ranma was sitting bolt upright, staring at the ceiling. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Akane said as she eyed her fiancée suspiciously. As Ranma continued to ignore her, Akane's wariness turned to anger, "I can get a degree in any subject I want and you can't stop..." A sensation hit Akane like a surge of icy dread, bringing her rant up short. It was power: pure, raw power. She shivered as wave after wave of unadulterated energy assaulted her enhanced senses.

"What do ya think it is?" Ranma said, finally shifting his focus away from the ceiling. "What could have that much power?"

Akane continued to shiver. "It must be the Saiyan! There's nothing else that's even remotely that strong."

Suddenly Ranma and Akane's reverie was broken as the classroom door sprang open to reveal an irate Mr. Tanaka. "I thought I told you two to STAND in the hall!"

Almost quicker than Mr. Tanaka could see, Ranma leapt to his feet and seized Akane's hand. As the two ran down the hall, Ranma yelled back over his shoulder, "Sorry teach, we've gotta go!"

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Ranma's feet barely touched the rooftops as he leapt from building to building. Nothing compared to the feeling of almost flying across Nerima. With each bound, the street below receded and the sky seemed to open up before him. When viewed from this height, the drab buildings of Nerinma became a rich mosaic of color and texture. Sometimes, Ranma wanted to run like this till his legs were lead and his lungs burned like fire. Right now, though, he had places to go.

Up ahead, Akane had completed a complex mid-air twist and was plummeting towards a brick chimney. Without thinking, she flexed her legs and prepared for her next leap towards another rooftop a block away. As she took off again she twisted her head around enough to yell back at Ranma, "I still say we don't need her!"

Over the rushing wind Ranma replied, "I don't like it either, but the Old Ghoul's got about 20 times more experience than we do. Plus I think she's been holding out on us."

"No way! She's got more techniques, but we have way more power," said Akane as she dodged a surprised pigeon.

Ranma kicked off of the Nakatomie broadcasting tower and suddenly he was in free fall. Twisting around he yell upwards, "You weren't there the last time we fought. I know that the Dragon Down Below form caught me by surprise, but still, she hits like a ton of bricks."

In a higher arc passing over Ranma, Akane yelled down, "I just think we can do it on our own!" Before she could land, though, Ranma caught her in his arms and took off.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you that well. We need her because I don't want anybody to get hurt. Our chances are better with her than without her." Ranma said with finality.

Not minding the impromptu hug as much as she thought she might have, Akane snuggled closer to Ranma's solid chest. "I know, but she's never really give up Shampoo's claim on you. I don't think we can trust her."

Ranma sighed slightly. The fight a few months ago to get Cologne to back down from her tribal laws had not gone as smoothly as he had hoped. It was neither a complete loss nor a stunning victory. In the end, he considered it a draw, but he was still bothered by the thought that the crone had let him tie with her. Since then, the old matriarch had been content to teach him and Akane some new techniques while gently hinting that perhaps he might be happier as an Amazon bridegroom. Shampoo, on the other hand, had let nothing dissuade her from her pursuit of what she considered the perfect man. Several humiliating defeats at Akane's hand had only led the perky warrior to train harder and try again. Still, in Ranma's mind, there was very little to warrant Akane's reluctance. "It can't hurt to ask her, can it?"

Akane's small shrug was Ranma's only answer as he sailed towards the roof of the Nekohanten. With his and Akane's newfound power and Cologne's planning, he was beginning to think that they might have half a chance.

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In what was arguably the most popular Chinese restaurant in Nerima, Shampoo's hand became a blur as she cleaned the table. The friction she generated with the rag was enough to heat-sterilize every surface in the restaurant. In fact, the Nekohanten had never had a single complaint from the health board. That might have been because Shampoo flirted so shamelessly with the inspector, but she still liked to attribute it to her fastidious nature. Thoughts of drooling men naturally turned Shampoo's thoughts to her favorite subject. Oh, why wouldn't Ranma respond like that silly inspector? Every man on this wretched island would lose his mind over her if she shot him the slightest glance. But not the one she really wanted. In her mind, though, that made Ranma all the more attractive. It's true that he was handsome and courageous, plus his martial skills were nearly beyond belief, but the thing that had made him so truly desirable was that he was a challenge. Most men pursued, but this one ran just far enough ahead to keep her constantly chasing.

The jingle-jangle of the doorbell woke Shampoo from her musings. It was odd to get customers before dinner but after the lunch rush. As she looked up, though, a smile lit her face. Here was Ranma now. He must have known she was thinking about him.

The unwillingly betrothed in question was taking to someone behind him, "How are we going to figure out where this Alien is going to land? I doubt he'll draw us a map."

Shampoo's countenance darkened significantly when she saw Akane stroll in behind her beloved. Even the Tendo's voice had begun to grate on her nerves, "I guess we could ask Limar. He'll probably know."

Shampoo was not one to back down from the challenge that Akane presented. As Ranma looked up, she flashed him her most brilliant smile and latched onto his arm with desperate strength. "Nihao Ranma, you come take Shampoo on date now? You so sweet." And then, just to twist the knife, she added over her shoulder, "Too too violent girl come to take cooking lessons from Great Grand Mother?"

Ranma, to his advantage, had been anticipating this moment for the last few minutes. As Shampoo tightened her death grip, Ranma began to employ a technique he had developed for an occasion just like this. It had only taken him a few days to perfect the muscle control necessary for The Buzzing of a Hundred Wasps method. In essence, the technique caused its practitioner to vibrate at incredible speeds. In the beginning, his movements were barely perceptible to the human eye, but as he sped up, the Chinese girl's hands began to go numb and finally she was flung roughly to the ground. Shampoo, determined to show her fiancée that she was far from defeated, began her Venomous Vixen counter attack. A voice came from the kitchen interrupting Shampoo's Lethal Lips stance. "Shampoo, we're out of buckwheat noodles. Go to the store and get some!"

"But Great Grand Mother, we no need…"

Shampoo's reply was sharply cut off by the loud, "Now!" that resounded through the restaurant.

As she was leaving, Shampoo still took the time to glare daggers at Akane, toss her hair and walk stiffly from the room. After she left, Ranma let out a pent up breath and glanced at Akane.

"What was all that?" Akane demanded.

"I was just trying to get her off."

"I bet you were. You didn't have to give her the ride of her life in the process, baka." Akane whispered fiercely as she brushed past into the kitchen.

Sighing again, Ranma followed Akane threw the beaded curtain. Inside, his senses were assaulted by the sounds and smells of a kitchen for a dozen chefs. Instead of the entire Culinary Institute of Nerima there was just one small woman perched on a staff doing the work of a legion cooks.

"Welcome, welcome children! I was expecting you!" Cologne shouted over the din of boiling and chopping. In passing, she whipped several sliced carrots past Akane's head and into a large pot of water. "Don't mind me. I'm just doing the catering for a small wedding this evening. Try to find someplace out of the way!"

"Expecting us? I don't get it." Ranma said as he dodged the knife wielding matriarch. But Cologne was bent on the destruction of a head of cabbage.

Cologne chopped with one hand and kneaded a giant lump of dough with another. "A gigantic chi appears in outer space hurtling towards us? Of course Nerima, and specifically you two, were going to be involved. So what do you know?"

Taken aback by Cologne's foreknowledge, Akane began, "Well, I suppose we really knew what was going on about a year ago…" The story of the discovery she had made all those months ago slowly began to trickle out. Ranma helped where he could, but Akane had spent much more time interrogating the Alien ship's hologram about her origins and was able to provide a much more comprehensive description of the threat they all now faced. Cologne asked a few intelligent questions, but for the most part let the bizarreness of the tale wash over her.

As Akane finished, Ranma turned to the small woman. "Can you help us?"

At first Cologne stood stock still, staring off into space. After a minute, water from one of the many unattended pots overflowed and singed her hand, breaker her trance. "Oww, shit! There goes my Happy Couple Noodles." She cursed again and flung the contents into the garbage. Turning back to face the pair, she began again, "I have lived for 317 years, three months and 17 days and I never thought I would hear something as truly ridiculous as that."

"You don't believe us?" Akane asked, growing angry at the thought of being accused of lying.

"No child, I know you two too well." Cologne said as she gazed around at the various dishes in the kitchen. "Right now you need to ask that… what did you call it? Ask this hologram what is going on and where we can expect the warrior. We will need to gather as much information as possible for the coming battle. Return here in two hours and I will have gathered what I can to aid us."

"Of course elder." Akane said as she bowed to show her newfound respect.

Ranma smiled at his fiancée and turned to Cologne. "Thanks old g… thanks elder. We really appreciate it."

As Ranma and Akane ran out the door Cologne called after them, "It's the least I could do. You have made these years of my life more interesting than any before."

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At home, Kasumi was humming a cheery tune as balanced a load of laundry on her hips. For the eldest Tendo sister, laundry day was one of new beginnings. All the sheets were changed, all the clothes were washed and dried, but most importantly the house looked and smelled its best. It wasn't much, but to her it was a way of reinventing herself. For a person who was constantly surrounded by action, Kasumi took pride in her ability to find fulfillment in smaller things. Her youngest sister and Ranma could engage in battle of honor and love on a daily basis as long as they left her a few moments to enjoy the peace of a job well done.

As she set down her basket and began to fold, Kasumi realized that she would be doing laundry for six again. Nabiki would be returning from school. Her letters and phone calls had been brief, but that was to be expected. Nabiki was not an open person by nature. It would be good, though, to have her back; Nabiki brought another rational viewpoint to the house that chaos built. It would also be interesting to see what changes Tokyo University had wrought on her sister. As she folded, Kasumi began to realize some of the things that Nabiki's return signaled. Summer would be starting and Ranma and Akane would be finishing high school. Then they would be leaving to start college with Nabiki. In the next few months, everything would be changing and not necessarily for the better. A pair of boxers in hand, Kasumi began to think that perhaps it was time for her to consider some beginnings far more serious than clean laundry.

As if by magic, the two near-adults in question choose that moment to burst through the door. They both looked disheveled and Kasumi could only imagine that they had been sparring or arguing or both. And they had been getting on so well!

"Yo Kasumi, could you fix me a sandwich?" Ranma said as he smiled at the eldest Tendo sister.

Akane, still slightly miffed from Shampoo's advances on Ranma, barked at him, "We don't have time for food dolt."

"Hey we gotta eat, ya tomboy." Ranma shot back.

Kasumi certainly hoped that tempers remained cool; thus far the new roof had fared better than any of its predecessors. "It's really no trouble. Akane would you like something?"

Akane muttered under her breath. "Maybe a grilled baka." Then louder she said, "Oh nothing sis, we're in kind of a rush."

"What for?"

Ranma had never really known how lie effectively when the situation called for it and, consequently, he often choose to tell the truth, no matter how bizarre or inappropriate. "We gotta go save the world or something."

Kasumi bent at the knees, continuing to hold Ranma's gaze as she picked up another piece of laundry to fold. "Oh my… Will you be home for dinner?"

Ranma and Akane both stood, dumbstruck. Then, deciding that silence was the better part of misunderstanding, they beat a hasty retreat for the basement.

In the dank of the Tendo basement, Akane and Ranma walked towards a small light that shone 24 hours a day. Limar, they both knew, would be up analyzing Akane's fighting technique. Nearly a year ago the pesky hologram had begged his Lady to wear a Saiyan monitoring device. The purpose, he claimed was to document the triumphs of the future Queen of the planet Vegeta. Limar, though, had not been content to simply observe the battles Akane was involved in. The hologram had demanded that Akane let him assist her in training. To this end Akane had furnished Limar with hundreds of scrolls from the Tendo School of Indiscriminant Grappling. Limar had thrown his circuits into the task of creating the ultimate warrior with true Saiyan fervor. For the most part, the training exercises he had suggested were either too dangerous or insane to be considered, but on occasion he had presented her with something of true martial value. Ranma had observed that when Akane practiced one of the new forms, the entire Sayain ship nearly glowed with pride.

"Lady Akane, Lady Akane! I have a new technique you must try!" Limar shouted out to his approaching queen. "Do you know where you could obtain a mammal known as an Otter and a metric ton of axel grease?"

Akane sighed and patted the metal ship that hosted the misguided mechanism. "I'll try that technique later. Right now, I would like you to tell us if a Saiyan warrior is approaching this planet."

"Why yes, my Queen. He has been on his way to Elrani-3 for quite some time."

Ranma quite nearly tried to strangle the image in front of him. "You knew!?! And you didn't tell us?"

"Well, I thought… I thought you already knew. I did tell you." Limar said quietly, somewhat taken aback by Ranma's outburst.

Determined not to let things get out of hand, Akane laid a restraining hand on Ranma's arm. "He didn't realize, Ranma."

Ranma was shocked by the iron grip that his fiancée had caught him in. His face was lit by anger as he turned to face Akane, "Fine, whatever." Ranma bit out before stomping upstairs

Limar looked dejectedly at Ranma's back as he walked away. "I have failed you my Queen. I am sorry. Do with me what you will."

Akane stifled a giggle as the tiny man abased himself in the air before her. "It's alright Limar." She said soothing. "Ranma's just anxious. He's been taking his fights much more seriously lately."

Glancing up quickly, Limar quoted an ancient volume of Saiyan lore, "It is the mark of a true warrior to consider every battle life and death."

Akane turned away from Limar to look at the stairs Ranma had so recently stormed up. Softly and after much contemplation, she began, "I never really considered Ranma a warrior…"

"Perhaps he is not now." Limar said, "But someday he will be."

Akane shook her head as if to clear it and turned back towards the metal sphere. "Can you tell me where I can meet the Saiyan when he arrives?"

Upstairs Ranma angrily chewed his way through his second sandwich. Stupid tomboy! Stupid hologram! He and Akane could have trained so much harder in the past few months if they had known. He could have blown off college admissions and really focused on increasing his power. Stupid tests! Why did he have to take a test to get into school to learn how to teach martial arts? It all seemed so complicated. A guy needed to teach martial arts if he wanted to keep fighting, so he needed to learn how to teach. But it still seemed so backwards. He already knew how to fight! Hell, he loved to fight! So, by extension, he should be able to teach people how to fight, right? Man, the art was supposed to be simple. Isn't that what the old man had said?

Breaking out of his mental gymnastics, Ranma felt Akane's chi approaching. As she left the shadows of the basement door, he raised his eyes from his plate to glare at her. His fiancée, though, looked too wrapped in thought to notice the cold look she was receiving.

"Well?" Ranma demanded.

"Hokkaido. We're going to Hokkaido."

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Author's notes:

Chapter, chapter, bo-bapter. I hope you enjoyed this little romp. It was painfully action-free, but things will pick up next chapter. Oh, I've gotten a request to place this story in the Ranma and DBZ timeline. As was indicated in the story, this thing takes place after the Ranma cannon, during the end of Ranma and Akane's time in high school. As for the DBZ timeline, I am imagining that this all happens well before Dragon Ball even begins. I hope that helps!

Remember to take it easy!

Oh, and C+C welcome. The more the better, I always say!


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